Bowling ball including adjustable depth finger hole



y 3, 1968 5. 5. GERLACH 3,393,910

BOWLING BALL INCLUDING ADJUSTABLE DEPTH FINGER HOLE Filed Sept. 28, 1965 FIG. 1.

M/I/EA/ me STEPHAN 61 GERLACH EDWARD D. OER/AM A 7'7'0RA/E) United States Patent 3,393,910 BOWLING BALL INCLUDING ADJUSTABLE DEPTH FINGER HOLE Stephen G. Gerlach, Burbank, Calif., assignor of onefourth to OBrian and Dicke, Anaheim, a partnership, and one-fourth to R. G. Le Vaux, Beverly Hills, Calif.

Filed Sept. 28, 1965, Ser. No. 490,950 2 Claims. (Cl. 273--63) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A structure permanently secured to a bowling ball within a hole in such a ball enabling the effective depth of the hole to be varied. This structure includes a member having a threaded shank attached to a disk-like head and a sleeve having an internal threaded bore. The sleeve is secured to the bowling ball and the threaded end of the shank is threaded into the bore. The sleeve and shank are formed so that the member cannot be withdrawn from the sleeve.

This invention pertains to new and improved bowling balls having adjustable depth holes, which holes are adapted to be engaged by appendages on the hand of an individual. This invention also pertains to fittings for use with known bowling balls so as to make the depths of the holes in such balls adjustable.

The game bowling is a common game in which a ball is held by a hand and is rolled down an elongated alley in an effort to knock pins located at the end of the alley. The manner in which such balls are held as they are being delivered or rolled is considered to be quite important in obtaining a desired or satisfactory score by knocking down such pins. This matter is complicated by the fact that the holes in the balls employed for holding purposes are frequently drilled beyond the depths at which such balls may be most satisfactorily gripped for delivery.

In an eitort to improve the manner in which bowling balls can be grasped for delivery a number of different expedients have been proposed, and to some extent adopted. As an example of this specialized glove-like structures to be worn on the hands have been developed. Certain of these structures have been constructed so as to deliberately space the palm of a hand a comparatively short distance away from the periphery of a bowling ball. This is because it has been considered that most satisfactory ball control can be achieved when the palm of the hand is spaced in this manner so that the thumb and fingers of the hand only extend into a bowling ball a comparatively limited distance.

It has also been proposed to accomplish such limiting of finger and thumb movement into the interior of holes in bowling balls through the use of adustable structures as are shown prior Gerlach US. Patent 3,039,774. Unfortunately structures such as shown in this patent are not acceptable for use in the game of bowling because of various regulations which have standardized the game so as to prevent one player from obtaining an unfair arvantage over another.

These regulations prohibit the use of movable devices in a bowling ball unless such devices are constructed so that they are locked in position during ball use and unless they the constructed so that they cannot be removed from the ball without their "being destroyed. These regulations thus serve to prevent a bowler from changing his ball in the midst of a match or tournament so as to obtain an unfair advantage.

An object of the present invention is to provide new and improved bowling balls which meet the requirements 3,393,910 Patented July 23, 1968 of these regulations, and which permit the depths of the holes in such balls to be desired so that a given ball may be effectively used by different individuals having differently lengthened appendages on their hands. Another object of the present invention is to provide balls as indicated in the preceding sentence which may be manufactured at a comparatively nominal cost from existing bowling balls, and which may be easily and conveniently adujsted so as to have holes of different depths. A further object of the present invention is to provide comparatively inexpensive, easily installed fittings for use with bowling balls so as to enable the depths of the holes of such balls to be varied as desired.

These and various other objects of this invention, as well as many specific advantages of it will be more fully apparent from a detailed consideration of the remainder of this specification, the appended claims, and the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of a bowling ball falling within the sCOpe of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view taken at line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

Those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains will realize that the accompanying drawing is primarily intended so as to clearly illustrate for explanatory purposes a presently preferred embodiment or form of this invention. They will further realize that through the exercise of routine engineering skill a number of changes may be made through the precise structure shown without departing from this invention as defined by the appended claims.

As an aid to understanding this invention it can be stated in essentially summary form that it concerns bowling balls, each of which has at least one hole extending from its periphery towards the center of the ball, which hole is intendel to be gripped by an appendage of a hand such as a finger or a thumb, and means for varying effective depth of the hole attached to the ball so as to extend into the bottom of the hole. Preferably in accordance with this invention such means comprise a fitting adapted to be located Within such a hole so as to be secured to the ball, the fitting including a headed member which is.

movable with respect to the remainder of the ball within the hole within which the fitting is located.

The actual details of the present invention will be more fully apparent from a consideration of the accompanying drawing where there is shown a ball 10 having finger holes 12 and the thumb hole 14. Inasmuch as these holes 12 and 14 are of an identical nature and inasmuch as the same structures are located within each of them, only one of the holes 12 is shown in cross-section in FIG. 2 of the drawing.

This hole 12 contains a fitting which consists of a sleeve 16 having an internally threaded bore 20 leading to an enlarged cavity 22 which has a larger diameter than the bore 20. Within the sleeve 16 on the side of the cavity 22 remote from the bore 20 there is located a cylindrical passage or hole 24. This passage 24 is in alignment with the bore 20. Around the outside of the sleeve 16 there may be located several small circumferential projections 26 serving a purpose as hereinafter defined.

The fitting 16 also includes a member 25 having an enlarged disc-like head 28 which is attached to an elongated shank 30. This shank 30 extends in the direction of the axis of the head 28. This shank 30 carries an externally threaded end 32 which is adapted to be threaded within the bore 20. The end 32 is of smaller diameter than the cavity 22 and is of larger diameter than the passage 24. This end 32 is of such a length that it is capable of being unthreaded from the bore 20 so as to be located within the cavity 22.

The fitting 16 may be sold as a staple article of commerce for installation in various different bowling balls. When it is to be installed in a ball such as the ball the entire fitting 16 is simply located in alignment with a hole such as the hole 12 and forced so as to move the fitting 16 into place within the hole 12 to a desired depth. In order for such a force fit to be achieved preferably the sleeve 16 is dimensioned accurately with respect to the hole 12 so as to be capable of fitting within it in such a manner that as it is located in the bowling ball the projections 26 are deformed, causing a tight holding action. Such an action can, of course, be achieved without using these projections 26. If desired a small amount of an adhesive 34 can be located around the periphery of the sleeve 18 so as to make sure that the fitting 16 cannot be removed from the ball 10.

After the fitting 16 is located well within the hole 12 as shown the position of the head 28 with respect to this hole can be adjusted by turning this head with an appropriate wrench (not shown) by engaging such a wrench with a socket 36 in the head 28. It will be seen from an examination of the drawing that in any position to which it may be moved this head 28 forms a false bottom for the hole 12, and that the position of this bottom may be varied by turning the head 28 so as to locate the end 32 in various positions to bore 20.

It will be realized that this end 32 is capable of being located within the cavity 20 by turning the head 28, and that when the end 32 is located within this cavity it hits against the portion of the cavity 22 immediately adjacent to the passage 24 in order to prevent further movement of the head 28 away from or generally away from the interior of the ball 10. Thus, this end 32 co-acts with a portion of the cavity 22 in order to serve as means for limiting movement of the head 28 generally away from or out of hole 12. It will be further realized the entire fitting 16 constitutes a means for varying the efiective depth of the hole 12.

Those skilled in the art to which this invention pertainsthe bowling ball artwill realize that when the various holes to be engaged by appendages of a hand are equipped as herein described the effective depths of the holes may be easily and conveniently varied to any desired extent so as to enable a particular ball of this type to be held in the most advantageous manner. These individuals also realize that a number of different changes may be made in the precise structure shown without departing from this invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A bowling ball having at least one hole intended to be gripped by an appendage of the hand of the user of said ball, said hole extending from the exteriorof said ball towards the interior of said ball, said ball having means for varying the effective depth of said hole attached to said ball and located within the bottom of said hole,

said means including a member and a sleeve,

said member having a disk-like head fitting within said hole, a shank attached to said head so as to extend therefrom towards the bottom of said hole, the end of said shank opposite from said head being externally threaded and of a larger diameter than said shank,

said sleeve having an internally threaded bore and a passage in alignment with said bore, said passage being of smaller diameter than said bore,

said sleeve being located within said hole so that the exterior of said sleeve is secured to said ball with said bore being located further from the entrance to said hole than said passage,

said end being threaded within said bore and said shank extending through said passage whereby said head may be moved along the length of said hole and said member prevented from being removed from said hole by engagement of said threaded end with the portion of said sleeve adjacent to said passage.

2. A bowling ball as claimed in claim 1 wherein:

a cavity is located within said sleeve between said bore and said passage, and said threaded end is capable of being located within said cavity.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,298,516 10/1942 Streib 287 2,393,908 1/1946 Hubbard 273-63 3,039,774 6/1962 Gerlach 273-63 3,204,960 9/1965 Blood 27363 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

GEORGE J. MARLO, Assistant Examiner.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent NO. 3,393,910 July 23 1968 Stephen G. Gerlach It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 2, line 2, after "to be" insert varied as Signed and sealed this 3rd day of February 1970.

(SEAL) Attest:

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr.

Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, IR. 

